Vacuum Repair Man Builds His Own High Performance Machines By Hand

2001 - Volume #25, Issue #2, Page #24

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For years, Mark O'Brien patiently listened to customers' complaints about the vacuum cleaners he sold and repaired.
His conclusion after every such conversation was that someone needed to come up with a better built, affordable, and reliable machine. "I'd sell a commercial cleaner a top-of-the-line canister vacuum and he'd be back here in six months with a worn-out machine," O'Brien says.
He learned while repairing vacuums that higher-quality vacuum components are available to stand up to heavier use, so he continued to look for a company that would put them all together in one machine.
Finally he gave up the search for the perfect machine and put one together himself. "I built the first one at my kitchen table with a drill and a screwdriver," says the St. Johnsbury, Vermont shop owner.
He intended to build several machines to see how they worked and whether his customers were interested. But when he showed his prototype machine to a couple of customers who ran commercial cleaning businesses, they wanted to buy one immediately. He says before he could really think about it, he was in the vacuum cleaner manufacturing business. "We sold the second one we made and we've been selling them ever since," he says.
He needed a name for his vacuum cleaner and after seeing some F-16 fighter jets fly overhead, he and wife, Janet, hit on the name Defender F-16.
O'Brien starts with an 18-in. section of 6-in. diameter SDR-type PVC pipe. In one end, he mounts a vacuum motor made by an Ohio company. On the other end, he attaches fittings and mountings for a standard 1 1/4-in. vacuum cleaner hose.
One of the keys to O'Brien's vacuum cleaner is the air filtration system. "In most vacuum cleaners, a lot of dust goes through the motor. I designed mine with a filter in front of the motor to take out virtually all the dust before the air gets to the motor," he says.
O'Brien makes three versions of his machine. The first sells for $379 (plus shipping) with normal vacuum nozzles. A commercial model with a powered head sells for $525. "It's got the best vacuum nozzle I know of - the motor for the head itself is more powerful than the motor on some commercial vacuums," says O' Brien.
A third model, with a less powerful power nozzle, sells for $429.
Although O'Brien has sold hundreds of vacuums, he still makes them by hand. He gets two or three orders a day by word of mouth.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark O'Brien, Defender F-16, North Country Vac & Sew, 442 Portland St., St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819.

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Vacuum Repair Man Builds His Own High Performance Machines By Hand FARM HOME Miscellaneous 25-2-24 For years, Mark O'Brien patiently listened to customers' complaints about the vacuum cleaners he sold and repaired. His conclusion after every such conversation was that someone needed to come up with a better built, affordable, and reliable machine. "I'd sell a commercial cleaner a top-of-the-line canister vacuum and he'd be back here in six months with a worn-out machine," O'Brien says. He learned while repairing vacuums that higher-quality vacuum components are available to stand up to heavier use, so he continued to look for a company that would put them all together in one machine. Finally he gave up the search for the perfect machine and put one together himself. "I built the first one at my kitchen table with a drill and a screwdriver," says the St. Johnsbury, Vermont shop owner. He intended to build several machines to see how they worked and whether his customers were interested. But when he showed his prototype machine to a couple of customers who ran commercial cleaning businesses, they wanted to buy one immediately. He says before he could really think about it, he was in the vacuum cleaner manufacturing business. "We sold the second one we made and we've been selling them ever since," he says. He needed a name for his vacuum cleaner and after seeing some F-16 fighter jets fly overhead, he and wife, Janet, hit on the name Defender F-16. O'Brien starts with an 18-in. section of 6-in. diameter SDR-type PVC pipe. In one end, he mounts a vacuum motor made by an Ohio company. On the other end, he attaches fittings and mountings for a standard 1 1/4-in. vacuum cleaner hose. One of the keys to O'Brien's vacuum cleaner is the air filtration system. "In most vacuum cleaners, a lot of dust goes through the motor. I designed mine with a filter in front of the motor to take out virtually all the dust before the air gets to the motor," he says. O'Brien makes three versions of his machine. The first sells for $379 (plus shipping) with normal vacuum nozzles. A commercial model with a powered head sells for $525. "It's got the best vacuum nozzle I know of - the motor for the head itself is more powerful than the motor on some commercial vacuums," says O' Brien. A third model, with a less powerful power nozzle, sells for $429. Although O'Brien has sold hundreds of vacuums, he still makes them by hand. He gets two or three orders a day by word of mouth. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark O'Brien, Defender F-16, North Country Vac & Sew, 442 Portland St., St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819 (ph 802 748-9190).

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